1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 30 to 34, there has been proposed a connector 901 that electrically connects between four first printed boards 921 and one second printed board 922 (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2010-182551 (Paragraphs 0032, 0033, 0035 to 0039, and 0047 to 0050, and FIGS. 1, 3, and 7 to 9). Note that FIGS. 30, 31, 32, 33, and 34 correspond to FIGS. 1, 3, 7, 8, and 9 in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2010-182551, respectively. However, reference numerals in the figures are changed, and some of them are deleted.
The connector 901 includes a plurality of elastic conductors 950 and an insulating plate 930 that holds the plurality of elastic conductors 950.
The insulating plate 930 has a substantially rectangular shape, and has four rectangular areas 930E1, 930E2, 930E3, and 930E4, as shown in FIG. 31. The areas 930E1, 930E2, 930E3, and 930E4 each are an area on which one first printed board 921 is disposed. The areas 930E1, 930E2, 930E3, and 930E4 of the insulating plate 930 are each formed with a plurality of slits 931 at equally-spaced intervals, as shown in FIGS. 32 and 33. Each slit 931 of the insulating plate 930 has an inner surface formed with a plurality of protrusions 931a (see FIGS. 32 and 33). A plurality of positioning protrusions 970 are integrally formed with the insulating plate 930 at respective locations close to four corners of the areas 930E1, 930E2, 930E3, and 930E4 of the insulating plate 930.
As shown in FIG. 32, each elastic conductor 950 includes an elastic body 951, an FPC 952, and a metallic column 953.
The elastic body 951 is substantially long plate-shaped. The elastic body 951 has a rear surface formed with a plurality of recesses 951b in which the protrusions 931a of the insulating plate 930 are fitted, respectively (see FIGS. 32 and 33).
As shown in FIG. 32, the FPC 952 includes an insulating film 952a and a plurality of conducting paths 952b. The insulating film 952a is affixed to a front side (left side surface of the elastic body 951, as viewed in FIG. 32) of the elastic body 951.
The metallic column 953 is buried in the elastic body 951. The metallic column 953 extends in a longitudinal direction of the elastic body 951, and has part thereof exposed on a rear surface of the elastic body 951 (see FIG. 32).
The plurality of elastic conductors 950 are inserted in the slits 931 of the insulating plate 930, respectively (see FIGS. 32 and 33). When each elastic conductor 950 is inserted in an associated one of the slits 931, an associated one of the protrusions 931a of the insulating plate 930 is fitted in an associated one of the recesses 951b of the elastic conductors 950, and hence the elastic conductor 950 is prevented from being easily removed from the associated slit 931.
The connector 901 is used in the following manner:
First, as shown in FIG. 34, the connector 901 is disposed on the second printed board 922. At this time, by inserting positioning pins 922c of the second printed board 922 in respective positioning holes 942 of the connector 901, the connector 901 is positioned with respect to the second printed board 922.
Next, as shown in FIG. 34, the four first printed boards 921 are arranged on a first board-disposing surface 930A (the areas 930E1, 930E2, 930E3, and 930E4) of the connector 901, respectively. The four first printed boards 921 are positioned by the positioning protrusions 970 with respect to the first board-disposing surface 930A of the connector 901.
Finally, screws inserted through respective screw insertion holes of a heat sink, not shown, arranged on the first printed boards 921 are screwed into screw holes of a metallic plate, not shown, arranged below the second printed board 922. The heat sink and the metallic plate sandwich the first printed boards 921 and the second printed board 922 via the connector 901, whereby mechanical and electrical connection between the first printed boards 921 and the second printed board 922 is maintained.
To realize narrowing of a pitch between the elastic conductors 950 of the above-described connector 901, it is only necessary to reduce an arrangement pitch of the slits 931 of the insulating plate 930, and reduce the thickness of each partition wall 932 (see FIGS. 32 and 33) located between the slits 931.
However, the insulating plate 930 and the partition walls 932 are integrally molded of resin, and hence if each partition wall 932 is reduced in thickness, this makes it difficult to perform resin molding, and even if the insulating plate 930 and the partition walls 932 can be molded of resin with high accuracy, the strength of each partition wall 932 is reduced. As a consequence, when the first printed boards 921 and the second printed board 922 are sandwiched by the heat sink and the metallic plate via the connector 901, if a central portion of the second printed board 922 is warped, this increases a difference in the amount of deformation of ones of the elastic conductors 950 located toward the central portion of the second printed board 922 and the amount of deformation of ones of the elastic conductors 950 located toward the periphery of the central portion of the second printed board 922, which may cause reduction of the contact stability.